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Riot

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A riot is a type of civil disorder. It happens when a group of people acts with violence.

Starbucks Barcelona
Starbucks Barcelona

These gatherings are often disorganized and chaotic. People in a riot might target shops, cars, or restaurants. They may also target religious buildings or state institutions. Sometimes, the targets are symbols of a specific group of people. While some people try to lead a riot, they often lack control. This makes the actions of the crowd feel like a herd moving together.

Many different things can cause a riot to start. Some people riot because they are hungry or facing food shortages. This is known as a food riot.

Wasserwerfer
Wasserwerfer

Other riots happen because of politics, taxes, or unfair laws. Some riots are about race or religion. There are even sports riots caused by the results of a big game. In the United States, sports are a very common cause for this. These often happen in the city of the winning team.

Battle strike 1934
Battle strike 1934

History shows many different kinds of riots over the years. In 1709, people called keelmen rioted because food prices rose. In 1727, tin miners plundered granaries at Falmouth.

Tompkins square riot 1874
Tompkins square riot 1874

There were also large food riots in Egypt in 1977. These happened after food prices went up. In the United States, the term "race riot" became common by the 1890s. These riots often involved a majority group acting against others. There have also been prison riots where prisoners act together to express a grievance.

Riots can cause a huge amount of damage and harm. The 1992 Los Angeles riots were very destructive. During that event, 63 people were killed and over 700 businesses burned. Property damage there cost more than $1 billion.

Leffler - 1968 Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. riots
Leffler - 1968 Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. riots

In 2005, riots in France lasted for over three weeks. They spread to nearly 300 different towns. By the end, over 10,000 vehicles were destroyed. These events show how much a riot can change a community.

Police forces work to stop riots and keep order. They often wear body armor and carry shields.

They might use water cannons, tear gas, or pepper spray. Some police use rubber bullets or flexible baton rounds to stop people. These tools are meant to be less-than-lethal, but they can still cause injury. In Northern Ireland, seventeen deaths were caused by rubber bullets between 1970 and 2005. Laws about riots are different in every country, like India or the United Kingdom.

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🖼️ Images & Media (10)
File:Battle strike 1934.jpg
Battle strike 1934.jpg
File:Bastille 2007-05-06 anti Sarkozy 487633669 93d13b826b o.jpg
Bastille 2007-05-06 anti Sarkozy...
File:Tompkins square riot 1874.jpg
Tompkins square riot 1874.jpg
File:March for Alternative - 25.jpg
March for Alternative - 25.jpg
File:Starbucks Barcelona.jpg
Starbucks Barcelona.jpg
File:Riots1844staugestine.jpg
Riots1844staugestine.jpg
File:Police fighting against anti-Sarkozy with tear gas (487645695).jpg
Police fighting against anti-Sarkozy with...
File:Wasserwerfer.jpg
Wasserwerfer.jpg
File:1981 Brixton Riots.jpg
1981 Brixton Riots.jpg
File:Leffler - 1968 Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. riots.jpg
Leffler - 1968 Washington, D.C. Martin...
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